TRIGGER DESIGN

GROUP PROJECT

For many years now trigger sprays have been assisting us in everyday tasks, be it house cleaning or industrial applications. However the design and function of the spray trigger hasn’t altered much at all over the years, the main development being the replacement of metal springs with plastic ones. We have been approached by a company, who have presented us with the task of altering the features of their new innovative design, hoping that together we can develop a product that can finally replace the traditional spray trigger.

The first thing we did as a group was analyse the design brief so we all had a good idea of what was required of us. The company are wanting for us to alter the current design by adding new features, perhaps most importantly a locking mechanism. The design must also include an anti-back off closure with a standard 28/410 bottle screw thread fitting. We must also come up with a variety of shroud options, including both ‘premium’ and ‘budget’ options. We need to consider new design options, such as alternative bottle closure sizes, so the trigger can replace traditional aerosol based packaging, focusing mainly on room fresheners. The weight of the new design must also be at least 3g lighter than the original trigger design.

In order to find a solution to what were looking for, the problem needs to be broken down into separate areas of consideration. We did this via a task analysis, basically brainstorming all the key areas of consideration and breaking them down into specified areas that need looking into.

After looking back on what was originally asked of us by the company, we feel as a group that we have come up with a suitable product that meets most of the requirementsit needed to. We are relatively happy with the design and certainly think it is sufficient enough to rank alongside the current spray trigger designs, if not replace them. Visually it looks very appealing and the functions are excellent compared to most trigger sprays already on the market. Ergonomically it’s good, with people of all shapes and sizes being able to use it without having a great deal of trouble. However, cost implications have yet to be taken into account and that could be a possible downside.

If we were to do it again we would probably focus more on the original design and put all our effort into developing a locking mechanism that would fit into that original design. However we still feel the product we have designed is an improvement on the original trigger and we are all happy with the final outcome.

Special thanks to all the group members:- Andrew Howard, Esther Iteman, Dawit Tesfatzion, Graham Cox.